The program titled “Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) Genomics Program” is composed of the following projects:
- Project 1. Mass production of dsRNA to mitigate WSSV infection in shrimp
- Project 2. Application of Genomics in the Development of Genome-Wide Markers Linked to Production traits in Penaeus monodon
- Project 3. Genomic Markers for Assessment of Inbreeding and Morpo Phenotype-Genotype Association Mapping in Penaeus monodon
This program utilized the genomic-based and cutting edge technologies specifically utilizing the power of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), RNAi and Bioinformatics, to help address this disease problem in the tiger shrimp, P. monodon.
The program was able to generate and assemble a draft genome of P. monodon (53.3% of the estimated genome size). Moreover, the use of developed in vivo method was found to be more cost-effective compared with the commercially available in vitro kit. The developed IVV method provides a friendlier alternative to the commercially available IVT kit as the bacteria-producing dsRNA can be deactivated and bound to feeds, ensuring a non-invasive mode of treatment to mitigate and ultimately, protect shrimp stocks from WSSV.